A residential property could be transformed into an indoor and outdoor wedding and special events venue, according to plans set for review by the St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency.
Called Crosby Family Venue in its county application, the project is proposed at 855 Cherry Tree Road in a St. Augustine residential neighborhood about a mile west of U.S. 1 and 2 miles west of the Matanzas River.
The property owners and applicants, David and Anita Crosby, bought the land in December 2023 for $350,000. They are seeking a special use permit to operate the event venue on the 5-acre site, according to a proposal filed with the county.
The land is zoned Open Rural, which allows for agricultural, residential and some commercial uses. St. Johns Law Group represents the Crosbys.
The request would allow weddings, baby showers, corporate gatherings and other events to take place indoors, outdoors and under a tent. Events would be held in structures already on the site, including a single-family home, as well as in open areas of the property.
The application says hours for events, including music, would be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, with guests required to leave by 11 p.m. Capacity would be 300 guests.
If the special use permit is approved, the Crosbys would still need to submit a commercial site plan application, including a fully engineered site design by a licensed professional engineer.
A county staff report says the proposal “has received numerous letters of opposition regarding this request from residents in the surrounding area. Concerns were focused on a range of topics – some of which included noise, traffic congestion, public safety related to alcohol consumption in a residential area, property values, and light pollution.”
“Please stop our family neighborhoods from being encroached upon because someone wants to change the area that they knew was residential when they purchased their property near our quiet family community home, which also holds an abundance of wildlife that are sensitive to this business type of building/activity,” nearby residents Katie and Marc Grabert wrote in an Aug. 12 email.
The PZA is scheduled to recommend approval or denial of the project Aug. 21 before the request goes before the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners for a vote.